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News Corp has “great confidence” in its deputy chief operating officer James Murdoch and is not planning any senior management changes because of the phone hacking scandal in its British newspaper division.

The comments came as News Corp reported operating income jumped 21 per cent in the first quarter, to $US1.39 billion, well above analysts’ consensus forecast of $US1.27 billion.

Mr Murdoch, the son of News Corp chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch, is the chairman of the British division and is under growing pressure to more fully explain his knowledge of the phone hacking by reporters at the now-defunct News of the World.

Rupert and James Murdoch appeared before the British parliamentary committee that is investigating the hacking in July. James Murdoch will make a second appearance on November 10.

At last month’s News Corp annual meeting in Los Angeles, more than a third of shareholders’ votes were cast against the re-election of James as a director. A similar proportion was cast against his brother Lachlan, who quit as a News Corp executive in 2005 but remains on its board.

Despite the big “no” vote and ongoing questions about his role in the phone hacking scandal, News Corp chief operating officer Chase Carey said the company had “great confidence” in James Murdoch.

“James has done a good job,” Mr Carey said during a conference call with investors, analysts and reporters on Thursday morning to discuss News Corp’s September-quarter results.

“We are not contemplating any [management] changes.”

His comments came as news wires reported this week’s edition of Vanity Fair magazine included a claim that Rupert Murdoch asked James to take leave during the phone hacking scandal, then changed his mind overnight.

The Vanity Fair article, which was written by Sarah Ellison, a former reporter at News Corp’s The Wall Street Journal, said the idea for James to take leave was pushed by his sister Elisabeth.

The article also claims the Murdoch family has been undergoing psychological counselling over who will succeed Rupert Murdoch, 80. News Corp would not comment on the article.

The Murdoch brothers escaped removal from the company’s board due to the Murdoch family’s ownership of 39.7 per cent of News Corp voting stock (the family owns just 12 per cent of the company’s total equity).

A family ally, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talel, holds 7 per cent of voting stock and has publicly stated his support for the current board members.

If his shares and the stock held by the Murdoch family were ignored, more than two-third of shareholders voted against James and Lachlan.

More than 30 per cent of all votes were cast against the re-election of another three directors: Natalie Bancroft, Andrew Knight and Arthur Siskind. About 14 per cent of votes were cast against Rupert Murdoch.

Mr Carey said News Corp took “those votes very seriously” but did not respond when asked if the company’s board would change. (Only 9 per cent of votes were cast against the re-election of Mr Carey as a director.)

“The board is and will discuss those votes,” he said. “We proactively look for feedback from our shareholders. Having said that, we are proud of our board.”

Mr Carey said the release of the September-quarter results represented “an opportunity to shift gears” and focus on News Corp’s operational performance, rather than the phone hacking scandal.

All divisions except publishing posted double-digital income growth, including an 18 per cent increase from the cable network division, to $US775 million.

The closure of News of the World and weak advertising revenue in the Australian newspaper operation fuelled a 38 per cent slump in income from the publishing division, to $US110 million.

News Corp maintained the guidance it gave in August that it would post “low-to-mid-teens” operating income growth in the 2012 financial year.